Thursday, June 26, 2003

Urk: Mac kbase
Whither the sad Mac? The frowny Macintosh and the bomb of yesteryear have been replaced with the grey screen, the blue screen with spinning cursor, and the prohibitory sign (that's a funny name for a universal symbol). My heart skipped a beat when my Mac wouldn't startup after installing the new iChat AV. Since I haven't had a single darn problem with it since upgrading to OS X, I didn't even know how to go about fixing it! Luckily, the Apple knowledge base suggests all sorts of useful strategies for troubleshooting a startup issue, and they're even less scary than they sound. In fact, after starting up off of my OS 9 CD, the problem fixed itself. How bout that!After all the fussing, I have iChat AV installed, but no one to talk to. Sorry little me. Whither the sad Mac? Right here, buddy.erik 3:19 PM | permalink | yap $commentfile = $DOCUMENT_ROOT . "/archive/comments/105665879548106223.comment"; echo countlines("$commentfile",0); ?>

You are cool.

Thursday, June 19, 2003

bullshit: Salon: iTunes--The "i" Doesn't Stand for Innovation
Sahar Akhtar's article is full of crap, so I'll save you from watching Microsoft's "15 second" commercial to access it. iTunes does not mean the end of the album or the B-side; they've cycled before. Unbundled songs won't stifle creativity and experimentation; record contracts do that. The 30-second preview doesn't start at the start of the song, it doesn't reinforce accessibility and catchiness (as if those are universally bad), and, fundamentally, is more a tool of recognition than browsing; real fans will work to hear all the material instead of just buying the MTV single. To top it off, John Lennon wasn't experimental for the reason that Paul McCartney "subsidized" his songs with radio ballads; Lennon was experimental cuz he was on drugs.Real music exists in your local scene. Worry less about Mac users buying the songs they want and more about going out to a club to have fun.erik 3:22 PM | permalink | yap $commentfile = $DOCUMENT_ROOT . "/archive/comments/105605415055222748.comment"; echo countlines("$commentfile",0); ?>

Thursday, June 05, 2003

okay, this is the last time I'll talk about revolving doors, then I'll shut up.
OMG, my amazement at the misuse of revolving doors knows no bounds. Walking to get a soda, I witnessed a group of boisterous youths (read: hooligans) enter the Hancock Center on their way to the observatory. This one set of kids managed to set an impressive number of records: six double-ups, four triple-ups, and even a quadruple-up, along with two double-arounds. I'm not even going to start counting these new odd statistics. I'm just sick to death of this lack of portal politeness.Instead, go look at the funny guy standing at the podium at this website. Also, check out the cool coloring-book pages they offer--including non-packaged ice cream cones and ice cream bars sitting on a pile of what appears to be garbage (they're in the Kids' Club).erik 3:24 PM | permalink | yap $commentfile = $DOCUMENT_ROOT . "/archive/comments/200390620.comment"; echo countlines("$commentfile",0); ?>

a new turn at the revolving door
It's a first for the revolving door double-up count: a triple-up. It's getting silly over here, like a college stuff-the-phonebooth stunt from the fourties; what's next, goldfish eating and flagpole sitting? Two ladies and a little girl all managed to squeeze their way through a revolving door here at the Hancock Center today, and managed to retain their composure as if there were nothing odd about it and this is the way people go through doors and you can stop staring at us now. Bonus: the little girl (maybe about three years old) was on a leash! I guess this counts as one and a half double-ups on the counter.erik 12:26 PM | permalink | yap $commentfile = $DOCUMENT_ROOT . "/archive/comments/200389758.comment"; echo countlines("$commentfile",0); ?>

you will be assimilated. resistance is futile: Segway
The invasion has begun, albeit with slightly less intensity than the Borg. Yesterday, biking down the Lake Shore Path, I saw my first human transport cyborg, zipping along the path powered by his own sense of self-satisfaction. Geez, look at the lady in the picture at this website--how can you tell a happy Segway HT rider? By the bugs in their teeth. Also, calling it "HT" is a grating example of needless acronymization. Keep those jargon hounds at bay!erik 12:08 PM | permalink | yap $commentfile = $DOCUMENT_ROOT . "/archive/comments/200374229.comment"; echo countlines("$commentfile",0); ?>